When you are in the business of producing one million packets of potato crisps a day, the last thing that is wanted is for a critical processing component to fail. Should that scenario occur, then the immediate availability of either a replacement part or repair facility is the only solution.
When the failure of a hot oil pump occurred at Seabrook Crisps in Bradford in early 2013, the prospect of having to shut down production to remove the pump from service became a reality. Minimising the shut down period was essential and that meant turning to a specialist pump repair and service provider which Seabrook Crisps knew would solve their dilemma. That provider was AxFlow’s Service Division in nearby Huddersfield.
Having worked with Seabrook Crisps for around four years, AxFlow’s team of engineers were only too well aware of the consequences of a prolonged shutdown and pulled out all the stops to get the Cornell Hot Oil pump back on line. The time taken from collecting the pump, doing the repairs and returning it to the site was just six hours. “This is a specialist type of pump for the food industry and at Seabrook Crisps it is in operation 24 hours a day pumping thermal fluid at a temperature of 255ºC, so it is subjected to considerable workload,” commented Mark Redgrove, AxFlow’s Technical Support Manager.
The Cornell Hot Oil pump serves two purposes: moving thermal fluid into a heat exchanger on the fryer containing five tons of sunflower oil in which the crisps are cooked; and feeding thermal fluid into heat exchanger on the blancher. Thermal fluid is a slightly viscous mineral oil and the fluctuating temperature of this has an adverse effect on the mechanical seal. The rise and fall in the temperature of the thermal fluid causes the mechanical seals to move, and it is this movement that leads to seal failure. The working life of the mechanical seal can vary between 12 and 18 months, but predicting seal failure is imprecise. Regrettable though seal failure is, according to Tommy Brown at Seabrook Crisps, the Cornell Hot Oil pump is the best pump for the job.
Having been called in to look at the pump, AxFlow removed it from service and took it to the Huddersfield plant where it was stripped and inspected. This revealed that the mechanical seal, bearings, lip seals and gaskets all needed renewing and work commenced immediately. Once the sealing arrangement was completed and installed in the pump, the pump was hydrostatically tested with water in accordance with AxFlow’s standard test procedures. “Mechanical seal repair and replacement is one of the many engineering services that we offer at Huddersfield,” says Mark Redgrove. “Fortunately for Seabrook Crisps we were familiar with this type of food industry pump and sealing arrangement and had the necessary components available. As a result, the production down time at the factory was kept to a minimum.”
Email: info@axflow.co.uk
Telephone: 020 8579 2111
